Western energy firms hold first spots in ranking, Asian firms on their heels

By Claudia Assis

Bloomberg

Major oil and gas companies Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., and Royal Dutch Shell PLC topped a global ranking of energy companies, but Asia-Pacific companies gained ground, according to a report released Tuesday by media and oil-price firm Platts.

The top 10 companies generated a combined profit of $211 billion in 2012 on revenues of $2.67 trillion.

To be ranked, companies must be publicly listed and hold assets of more than $5 billion, Platts said. That excludes giants such as Saudi Arabia’s Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil exporter, which is not publicly traded.

China’s state-run energy giant CNOOC Ltd.
/quotes/zigman/274848/quotes/nls/ceoCEO took first place in an exploration and production ranking, and , placed 12th in the global top 250 and ninth in Asia’s fastest growing companies. Its chief executive, Li Fanrong, was chosen by Platts as Asia CEO of the Year.

India’s Cairn Ltd. retained its first place as the world’s fastest-growing energy company for the second consecutive year, based on a three-year compound growth rate of 121%, Platts said.

All told, Asia-Pacific companies snapped 74 spots in the top 250 ranking.

Twenty seven Chinese companies were at the Top 250, eclipsing for the first time Texas-based companies that have long dominated the list, Platts said.

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